Tag: laudanum history

I was re-reading a book by George MacDonald, entitled The Curates Awakening. I had forgotten an aspect of one of the main characters plight: opioid addiction. What struck me as I read this paragraph was the age-old, well-known addictive qualities of opioids:

“From a tragic accident of his childhood, he had become acquainted with the influences of a certain baneful drug (opium), to which one of his Indian servants was addicted. Now…to escape from gnawing thoughts, he began to experiment with it. Experimentation called for repetition, and repetition first led to a longing after its effects, and next, to a mad appetite for the thing itself…on the verge of absolute slavery to its use.”

This was written in 1870. Laudanum – an opium tincture that contains almost all of the opium alkaloids, including morphine and codeine – was developed in the 16th century. By the 18th century, the medicinal properties of opium and laudanum were well known.

By the 19th century, laudanum was used in many patent medicines to relieve pain, to produce sleep, to allay irritation.The Romantic and Victorian eras were marked by the widespread use of laudanum in Europe and the United States. The early 20th century brought increased regulation of all narcotics as the addictive properties of opium became more widely understood. By mid 20th century, the use of opiates was generally limited to the treatment of pain, and were no longer medically accepted “cure-alls”. (Wikipedia)

How is it that the manufacturers of OxyContin (Purdue Pharma) and other prescription opioids claimed and advertised that they were not addictive? Their scheme was so persuasive that I have friends today that believe that if you are truly in pain, opioids are not addictive. This is absolutely false. And how did the FDA let this go on?

Yes, we can be thankful that new ways to deliver pain relief were developed for patients with extreme pain from cancer and terminal illnesses. I have seen the need for it when I cared for my sister who was dying of brain cancer and had a morphine drip. But the wholesale promoting – pushing – of these drugs for every ache and pain while knowing how absolutely addictive they were is unconscionable. Had we really understood the power of opioids when we first learned our son was addicted, we would have taken a much more pro-active approach to his initial recovery program.

The article links Raymond and Arthur Sackler’s business acumen with direct pharmaceutical marketing and the rise of addiction to OxyContin. The article implies that the Sackler’s bear moral responsibility for the Opioid epidemic. During the sixties, Arthur got rich marketing the tranquilizers Librium and Valium using techniques were sometimes blatantly deceptive. In 1974 Mortimer renounced his US Citizenship and lived a flamboyant life in his many residences in Europe.

OxyContin was introduced in 1996 and just since 1999, two hundred thousand Americans have died from overdoses related to OxyContin and other prescription opioids.Many addicts, finding prescription painkillers too expensive or too difficult to obtain, have turned to heroin. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, four out of five people who try heroin today started with prescription painkillers. Our son is one of those statistics – and fatalities.

About us:

As parents of an opiate addict who lost his life when he was 25, we want to share our experiences openly and honestly with the hope that we can encourage other parents, families, and friends to do the same and help remove the stigma and shame that have perpetuated the opiate epidemic. For parents with children of all ages, we want to make critical information and resources readily available with the goal of preventing other young people from entering the world of opiate addiction with all of its deadly consequences.